Trains.com

Subscriber & Member Login

Login, or register today to interact in our online community, comment on articles, receive our newsletter, manage your account online and more!

ATSF Box Cars

1902 views
3 replies
1 rating 2 rating 3 rating 4 rating 5 rating
  • Member since
    May 2004
  • 7,500 posts
Posted by 7j43k on Friday, February 6, 2015 12:33 PM

From Richard Hendrickson's "Santa Fe Railway Painting and Lettering Guide For Model Railroaders Volume 1 Rolling Stock":

 

"Mineral Brown--sides, ends, and doors; underframes and trucks on repainted cars...

Black--underframes and trucks (new cars only)..."

 

That leaves you with one teeny little question, of course.

 

 

 

Ed

 

 

 

  • Member since
    September 2006
  • 776 posts
Posted by wabash2800 on Friday, February 6, 2015 11:16 AM

As usuall, Jim has some good info. Another source I would consult is the Steam Era Freight Car Modelers Group  (STMFC) at yahoogroups. There are some very knowleable freight car modelers there and some that model the Santa Fe  too.   https://groups.yahoo.com/neo/groups/STMFC/

You'd have to get approved as a member but it's painless.

It is possible that the underside of the cars was painted the same mineral brown or black as the practice varied by road and sometimes changed over time.

Victor Baird

  • Member since
    December 2007
  • 249 posts
Posted by JWhite on Tuesday, February 3, 2015 2:32 PM

According to the NEBW Guide to Rolling Stock Paint Schemes on the Rensselaer Railroad Heritage website, the map logo was used between 1940 and 1947.  In 1947 the map logo was dropped and "Ship and Travel all the Way" replaced the map logo.

The color guide doesn't mention any color for the underframe and trucks for the mineral red boxcars so I am assuming they were mineral brown like the rest of the car.  The photgraphs with the article are inconclusive due to shadows and dirt.

It does say that reefers had black underframes and trucks.

Now here is what's interesting.  It says that after 1930 through the 1950s that the roofs of the mineral brown boxcars were painted black with metal running boards unpainted and wooden running boards painted the body color.

The info is available here: http://railroad.union.rpi.edu/index.php?title=Rensselaer_Railroad_Heritage_Website  It is a subscription website but it's full of steam and transition era information.

 

 

 

 

  • Member since
    January 2001
  • From: SE Minnesota
  • 6,847 posts
ATSF Box Cars
Posted by jrbernier on Tuesday, February 3, 2015 11:18 AM
I picked up a 3 pack of Accurail ATSF 'map' box cars. What color is used for the under body & trucks(the cars have mineral brown bodies)?

Jim

Modeling BNSF  and Milwaukee Road in SW Wisconsin

Subscriber & Member Login

Login, or register today to interact in our online community, comment on articles, receive our newsletter, manage your account online and more!

Users Online

There are no community member online

Search the Community

ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
Model Railroader Newsletter See all
Sign up for our FREE e-newsletter and get model railroad news in your inbox!